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IIHF European Champions Cup
The IIHF European Champions Cup (ECC) was an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which took place during a long weekend in early January. The winner was considered the official club champion of Europe by the IIHF. The Champions Cup was first played in 2005, as a replacement for the defunct European Cup (1965–1997), and the suspended European Hockey League (1996–2000). In the 2008–09 season, the ECC was replaced by the Champions Hockey League, which was the new official European club championship event. Since the Champions Hockey League was cancelled after only one season, there is currently no official competition for the national ice hockey champions of Europe. Format The competition featured the reigning club champions from the top six European hockey nations according to the IIHF World Ranking; these teams were known as the Super Six. Two groups of three played in a round-robin tournament, with the winners of each group facing off in a championship game. The two groups were named after international hockey legends Alexander Ragulin and Ivan Hlinka. ECC winners (2005–2008) Participants and results (2005–2008) 2005 results Group A * Dukla Trenčín – Avangard Omsk – 1:6 * HV71 – Dukla Trenčín – 4:1 * Avangard Omsk – HV71 – 9:0 Group B * HC Hamé Zlín – Frankfurt Lions – 4:3 * Kärpät – HC Hamé Zlín – 4:1 * Frankfurt Lions – Kärpät – 3:6 Final Avangard Omsk – Kärpät – 2:1 (OT) 2006 results Alexander Ragulin division * HC Dynamo Moscow – HC Slovan Bratislava – 3:1 * HC Slovan Bratislava – HC Moeller-Pardubice – 0:2 * HC Moeller-Pardubice – HC Dynamo Moscow – 1:5 Ivan Hlinka division * Kärpät – HC Davos – 3:1 * HC Davos – Frölunda HC – 6:2 * Frölunda HC – Kärpät – 0:3 Final * HC Dynamo Moscow – Kärpät – 5:4 (in overtime) 2007 results Alexander Ragulin division * HPK – MsHK Žilina – 7:0 (2:0; 3:0; 2:0) * MsHK Žilina – HC Sparta Praha – 4:2 (0:1; 2:1; 2:0) * HC Sparta Praha – HPK – 2:3 (1:1; 1:2; 0:0) Ivan Hlinka division * Ak Bars Kazan – Färjestad BK – 6:4 (2:2; 2:1; 2:1) * Färjestad BK – HC Lugano – 0:3 (0:1; 0:1; 0:1) * HC Lugano – Ak Bars Kazan – 0:3 (0:1; 0:1; 0:1) Final * HPK – Ak Bars Kazan – 0:6 (0:3, 0:0, 0:3) 2008 results Alexander Ragulin division * Metallurg Magnitogorsk – Modo Hockey – 3:0 (2:0; 1:0; 0:0) * Modo – HC Slovan Bratislava – 1:4 (1:0; 0:3; 0:1) * HC Slovan – Metallurg – 1:2 (1:0; 0:0; 0:1; 0:0; 0:1) Ivan Hlinka division * Kärpät – HC Sparta Praha – 3:5 (0:2; 1:2; 2:1) * HC Sparta Praha – HC Davos – 6:4 (1:2; 3:1; 2:1) * HC Davos – Kärpät – 1:6 (0:1; 1:3; 0:2) Final * HC Sparta Praha – Metallurg – 2:5 (1:1; 1:2; 0:2) Predecessors European Cup (1965–1997) The European Cup, also known as the Europa Cup, was a European ice hockey club competition for champions of national leagues which was contested between 1965 and 1997, governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The competition was originated by Günther Sabetzki,Ice Hockey and Olympism page 187 based on the Association football European Cup (now UEFA Champions League). Teams were seeded and drawn into groups of four teams, with the winners of each group progressing to the next round, where they were drawn into groups again. Each round was played over a long weekend (Friday to Sunday) in a single venue, until one final group was left, the winner of which would be considered the champion. The tournament encountered problems. Countries had different levels of development in ice hockey, so some teams were weaker than others, resulting in a number of uncompetitive, one-sided games. Organizational difficulties were also posed by the refusal of some Soviet Union teams to play away games in certain places. This resulted in no final being held some years, and more than one final being held in others. The competition was discontinued after 1997. ;Winners ;Knockout, 1966–1978 ;Group, 1979–1990 ;Knockout, 1991–1997 *Source: European Cup (1966-1997) European Hockey League (1996–2000) The European Hockey League was a European ice hockey club competition which ran between the years 1996 and 2000. It was established in 1996 by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and commercial partner CWL Telesport and first contested in 1996–1997. In 1996–1997, twenty teams played in five divisions. After home and away inter-division matches, the division winners plus the three best second-placed teams went into the quarter-finals. The first winners were Finnish side TPS, who beat Russian HC Dynamo Moscow 5–2. In the 1997–1998 season, 24 teams competed in six divisions. The division winners and the two best second-placed teams progressed to the quarter-finals. The league was won by Austrian side VEU Feldkirch, who beat Russian side Dynamo Moscow 5–3. In 1998–1999, 24 teams competed in six divisions. The top two in each division went into playoff matches. The winners of these six playoffs went into the semi-final round, which was played in two groups. The winner of each of these two groups played in the final. For the third year in a row, Dynamo Moscow lost the final, this time to fellow-Russians Metallurg Magnitogorsk. In 1999–2000, 16 teams competed in four divisions. The two best clubs in each division advanced to the semi-final round, which was played as home and away games. The four winners of the semi-finals qualified for the EHL Top Four Final. In that final, Metallurg Magnitogorsk defended its title, this time beating Czech side Sparta Praha 2–0. Following consultation with its commercial partner, then called CWL Holding AG, the IIHF decided to suspend the running of the European Hockey League for the 2000–2001 season. Despite financial investment and the improved quality of the contest, attention from the media, spectators, and TV networks in Europe was not seen as satisfactory. In order to optimise exposure of the league in Europe, the IIHF decided to consult with European broadcasters starting with the 2001–2002 season. An international club competition, in the tradition of the previous European Cup, was staged by the IIHF for the 2000–2001 season, but the European Hockey League did not restart. ;European Hockey League Finals IIHF Continental Cup (1997–present) The Continental Cup is an ice hockey tournament for European clubs, begun in 1997 after the discontinuing of the IIHF European Cup. It was intended for teams from countries without representatives in the European Hockey League, with participating teams chosen by the countries' respective ice hockey associations. IIHF Super Cup (1997–2000) The IIHF Super Cup was an ice hockey event played between the champions of the two main European club tournaments at the time; it began in 1997 and ended in 2000. Successors IIHF Champions Hockey League (2008–2009) Champions Hockey League was conducted by 14 teams of which 12 are in the group stage. It replaced the IIHF European Champions Cup in 2008. The league was staged for one year only. IIHF Champions Hockey League Final See also *Champions Hockey League *IIHF Continental Cup *IIHF Super Cup *Spengler Cup *Ice Hockey European Championships *European Trophy References External links *IIHF Club Competition History on IIHF.com Category:Tournaments Category:IIHF European Champions Cup Category:International Ice Hockey Federation tournaments